Auroville Earth Institute
The Auroville Earth Institute was previously named the Auroville Building Centre / Earth Unit, which had been founded by HUDCO, Government of India, in 1989. The development of the former building centre evolved in such a way that the Auroville Earth Institute came into existence in 2004.
The Auroville Earth Institute is researching, developing, promoting and transferring earth-based technologies, which are cost and energy effective. These technologies are disseminated through training courses, seminars, workshops, manuals and documents. The Institute is also offering various services, and provides consultancy within and outside India.
The emphasis is focused on the research and development of earth based technologies and their dissemination through training courses. The most promoted technology today is Compressed Stabilised Earth Blocks (CSEB).
One of the aims of the Auroville Earth Institute is to give people the possibility to create and build for themselves their own habitat, while using earth techniques.
Office of the Auroville Earth Institute
The Auroville Earth Institute is part of a world network with CRATerre (The International Centre for Earth Construction), ABC Terra in Brazil, and a number of Indian NGOs. A training convention has been passed with the School of Architecture of Grenoble, France, for giving long-term training courses to their students.
The Auroville Earth Institute is today the representative for Asia of the UNESCO Chair "Earthen Architecture, Constructive Cultures and Sustainable Development". This Chair aims to accelerate the dissemination of scientific and technical know-how on earthen architecture amongst the higher education institutions, in the following three domains: environment and heritage, human settlements, and economy and production.
The Auroville Earth Institute is also partner of BASIN South Asia – Regional Knowledge Platform and it provides information and guidance to whoever asks for it.
The training course activities and the endeavour to promote raw earth as a building material for sustainable and cost effective development has brought since 1989 thirteen awards: Two international awards and eleven Indian awards.
